The real risk of widespread health charging under the Tories with the Osborne plan – Ed’s interview with the Guardian

Speaking to the Guardian, Ed said:

“What George Osborne is proposing represents a real risk to the future of the health service.

“This is what the overseas experience shows if you go to these extreme levels of low public spending. There is a real risk that a second Tory government will introduce charges.

“In that light it is quite legitimate to ask questions about what the NHS will look like in this world. It is right to point out that all countries that have gone down to this level of public spending have much, much greater degrees of charging for healthcare than the UK does now. We currently have one of the lowest level of charges.

“In my view you cannot go down to such sustained low levels of public spending – the lowest for 70 years – and expect the NHS to remain recognisable. These are the largest cuts over four years since the second world war.

“Ten years ago in the 2005 Conservative manifesto written by David Cameron, the Tories set out plans for a patient passport that introduced charges for people that wanted to jump the queue, so Cameron and Osborne have got form on introducing charges for basic medical treatments.”

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Posted January 24th, 2015 by Ed's team

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